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Best Tools to Identify Site Security Issues: Stop Threats Before They Get the Chance to Affect Your Site

Best Tools to Identify Site Security Issues: Stop Threats Before They Get the Chance to Affect Your Site

Adi Zeljkovic

May 9, 2021 (modified on February 25, 2023)

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The Internet is used by millions of people every day, and for a good reason. Once a place where you could only find connected text documents, today it’s the central hub for entertainment and information. As the popularity and the number of daily users of the Internet increased over time, so did the number of potential threats for those users.

On the surface, the Internet looks like a safe place where no harm can find you. But keep in mind, dear reader, it is the age of information, which means that information (your information to be more specific) holds great value to those who know what to do with it. And to be honest, there is no telling how far some individuals might go to take that information from you.

In this text, we will bring you closer to the topic of cybersecurity and highlight some potential pitfalls in that area. Recently, comprehensive security protection tools like Aura have been introduced. They are the easiest way to protect your devices, identity and finances.

We will also explain how you can protect your data, how important site security tools are for your protection, and introduce some tools we recommend.

On the other hand, there are tools made so that you don’t have to fear any malicious actors while enjoying your time on the web.

Right about now, you might be thinking to yourself, “I have never experienced anything too bad on the Internet. So what could those threats be?”. Well, we are here to explain just that.

You see, these threats come in different forms, and each of them needs to be treated in a specific way. The good thing is that professionals in the field have already made a great effort to find and deal with those threats.

Laptop screen saying cybersecurity

First, let’s mention ransomware, which is malicious software (or malware in short) that tries to go after your data. A certain amount of money is asked as a ransom for said data. It usually is requested via email.

Then we have phishing, which is when a person poses as someone trustworthy just to get your data.

Also, there is data leakage, which for the most part, happens because of portable smart devices like smartphones.

There are many more types of security threats hidden in plain sight, but let us now talk about the tools that are made to protect you.

Security tools we recommend

1. WP Force SSL

WP Force SSL

WP Force SSL is the premium upgrade to the popular free plugin WP Force SSL & HTTPS SSL Redirect, which both works to make your site more secure for visitors. It’s not enough to simply have a valid SSL certificate installed on your site. Fortunately, the WP Force SSL plugin makes it easy to rectify the situation. The question is, how?

Redirecting unsafe HTTP traffic to the more secure HTTPS and fixing various SSL problems are both tasks that WP Force SSL may help you accomplish without modifying a single line of code. All that is required to activate the SSL certificate is to turn on the “Force SSL” setting. After that, the complete site will be switched to HTTPS with the help of the SSL certificate.

WP Force SSL is compatible with both free and premium SSL certificates.

2. Beagle Security

Beagle Security

With the use of automation, this tool identifies potential exploits that hackers could use to compromise the security of a website. Most of the time, the security of a website is ignored because of the effort and time it takes to test every nook and cranny for possible weak points and exploits. With Beagle Security, it is possible to schedule an automated test of your site and fix potential problems.

Doing manual tests can take weeks, but using AI and automation can cut down the testing process to only days or hours.

With Beagle Security, one can do multiple tests on a site simultaneously and test multiple sites or web services, all from the same dashboard. The dashboard then offers you all the relevant information like a score of the site’s security, the actual number of vulnerabilities/threats, and a classification of those threats by severity.

3. Detectify

Detectify

A great tool regardless of how much knowledge and experience you have when it comes to cybersecurity. Detectify was built to help you make safer web applications and tackle any bigger projects of that nature. It covers not just well-known vulnerabilities but also those that yet need to be documented.

Work in a big tech company or a simple startup? You will find a use for Detectify! It gives quick and accurate results and continuous support across all the web apps you have. It doesn’t just alert about vulnerabilities; it also offers guidance on how to fix them!

You are having a hard time deciding which of your site assets to check first? Don’t worry; you just have to enable the Asset Monitoring functionality and let it do its job.

The knowledge of the best hackers was used to build Detectify, allowing you to not fall behind when it comes to the safety of your web apps.

4. IBM Security QRadar

IBM Security QRadar

IBM is a household name in all things related to technology. Once just a computer parts manufacturer, nowadays IBM focuses on the development of ideas and solutions for customers. Knowing how important web security is, one should not be surprised that this tech giant has prepared a solution for that field.

Time is money, and if there is one company in the world that understands that narrative, it’s IBM. Their Security QRadar is made to help your organization solve its most difficult security challenges.

The most critical vulnerabilities are those that hide in plain sight. It is the unseen threats that should worry you the most. Well, this tool promises to help you get a comprehensive insight into high-level threats, allowing you to take the necessary steps to remove them!

This tool has built-in AI that promises to speed up the investigation process by an astounding 50%. It had even won the “Gartner Peer Insights Customer Choice” award in 2020.

All in all, a highly capable tool made by professionals.

5. GitLab

GitLab

Git has become an indispensable part of any serious development project. It is a version control system that allows for great flexibility and serves as a backup system if something happens to the newest version of a software development project.

GitLab, a Git-repository manager, serves as a central hub for all developers. Its automated real-time security takes care of vulnerability management and the quality of your code.

Well-known companies like Nvidia and Siemens use GitLab’s services.

6. Invicti

Invicti homepage

Being trusted by the likes of Cisco and NASA (just to name a few) shows how great of a job this tool does. It is a solution made to test security with automation to address potential risks in an instant. It possesses advanced crawling, API scanning, and a dedicated engine for apps that need customized scripting. It also takes care of authentication on password-protected sites.

With it, you can always schedule any future scans in accordance with your workflow. Invicti automatically retests your projects to check for remaining security flaws and sends an alert to the responsible developer.

It can automatically scan for vulnerabilities before they make it into production.

FAQ

Paper saying FAQ

How do I benefit from using these tools?

As we already mentioned, it is of utmost importance to ensure that your web apps and services are secure. An app/service that is not secure is an unreliable app/service.

What are the main advantages of using these tools?

The main advantages these tools bring are the use of AI and the automation of security checks.

Are these tools free?

Some of them give free trials, after which they offer paid plans. That being said, using them is well worth the investment. The price you might pay for allowing exploitable vulnerabilities to be part of your apps/services could be even higher.

Conclusion

As much fun and joy as the Internet might offer, if the right measures for your protection are not in place, there might be dire consequences just waiting to happen. For your average user, the Internet seems like a secure place, and that there is no need to be worried. But as we have told you, the dangers of the Internet are many, and they come in many different forms. Luckily, it is human nature to solve problems when they arise.

With its astounding growth, the Internet has become the go-to place for finding possible exploits and doing shady business.

But now that you have stuck with us till the end of this text, we hope that you have become more aware of the dangers hiding in plain sight.

The right tools and protection can spare you the worries and headaches you might get while trying to stay safe on the web. There are many tools out there, but we hope that our list of tools provides a solution that is right for you.